The Western Dressage Association® of America (WDAA) has designed Western Dressage Rules to be utilized across various breeds that are either affiliated with or operate independently of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). Bitting requirements differ across the breed shows and events that host more than just Western Dressage. In order to design a universally inclusive discipline across all breeds and encourage equestrians to explore Western Dressage; WDAA felt obliged to respect...

Recently on the NAWD Facebook page, discussion has centered on the terms “connection” and “collection” with riders, trainers and instructors piping in with comments. If you have not checked in with the Facebook discussions on the websites for all the organizations, I encourage you to do so. All of these comments are so valuable! This is a critical conversation and is truly at the root of the discussion that surrounds WD videos that are currently out there. Dressage...

Western Dressage clinics are rolling all over the nation. Here in the Pacific Northwest one clinic series has been endorsed by our USDF Region 6 Director, Donna Longacre. Her lifetime of experience in the dressage world combined with her judging experience in both dressage and western disciplines makes her uniquely qualified to comment on Western Dressage training and judging. I am so excited to have created a clinic series that carries such an endorsement as I continue to try to present...

Originally published at www.useventing.com Jessica Phoenix (CAN) and Patras VR are the overnight leaders in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup & PRO Tour Series CIC3* at The Fork (Leslie Threlkeld/USEA Photo) Announcer Brian O'Connor called it "difficult conditions." What started as a windy and slightly damp morning worsened as the day progressed, and by the time the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series CIC3* division got under way this afternoon, a cold rain blew sideways. Nevertheless,...

Lexington, KY- The FEI World Cup Vaulting Final wrapped-up in Braunschweig, Germany Sunday, March 17, 2013 with France and Italy earning the top spots in the Men’s and Women’s Finals respectively. A total of seven nations took part in the two Finals and, demonstrating the growth of the sport over the past few years, the United States was represented for the first time by male vaulter Gabe Aniello. Aniello (Redwood City, CA) was lunged by Elke Schlep-Lensing on Pino del Rio to a...

Gabe Aniello competing at the 2012 FEI World Vaulting Championship (www.barny-th.de) Lexington, KY - Gabe Aniello (Redwood City, CA) is set to compete at the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final in Braunchweig, Germany March 14-17. Aniello is the first American vaulter to qualify to compete in the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final. He will vault on Pino del Rio and be lunged by Elke Schelp-Lensing. Aniello will contend against five other top male vaulters including France’s Nicolas Andreani and Ivan...

Lexington, KY - Seventeen-year-old Alexis Conover (New Port Richey, FL) volunteered more than 1,800 hours to accrue the most time of all participants in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Equestrians in Action volunteer recognition program. USEF Equestrians in Action tracks youth volunteer hours that are aimed at improving the welfare of the horse or positively promoting equestrian sport. Sponsored by The EQUUS Foundation, the program encourages youth to give back to equestrian...

Since 1906, the National Western Stock Show in Denver has been the Super Bowl of livestock shows. On January 24th at this year’s show, Cliff Swanson, along with the Western Dressage Association® of Colorado , presented a two hour clinic in the basics of Western Dressage. Drawing from his skill set clinics, Cliff was able to demonstrate what he normally teaches in five or six half-day clinics. Cliff explained the history of dressage, as he began with a demonstration of aids,...

Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to release the schedules for the 2013 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training and Observation Sessions and 2013 USEF Youth Dressage Observation Sessions. Both the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program and USEF Youth Dressage Program are vital in creating a pipeline for future U.S. combinations to compete on the international stage. The Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training and Observation Sessions are open to all...

Parker, CO – The Western Dressage Association® of America introduced its revised 2013 Western Dressage Rules for all breeds and 16 new WDAA authored Western Dressage tests today December 1st, 2012 via its website, https://westerndressageassociation.org/western-dressage-rules-tests/. The Rules were revised incorporating the WDAA mission, the training fundamentals of dressage, the rich western history, and the thoughts and feedback of our members, advisory board and representatives from...